The lure of playing in next season's Heineken Cup persuaded the New Zealand outside-half Daniel Carter to turn down the chance to join Toulon next season in favour of Perpignan. The 26-year old has been granted a year's sabbatical by the All Blacks and will receive some £500,000 for his seven-month stay in France.

Toulon, who won promotion to France's top division last month, had long been expected to land Carter. They are not only managed by Carter's former New Zealand captain, Tana Umaga, but are lavishly bankrolled by their multi-millionaire president, Mourad Boudjellal. However, Boudjellal's future at the club is in doubt after a row with supporters over a hike in season-ticket prices for next season.

Perpignan, who are in the same Heineken Cup pool as Leicester and the Ospreys, will play the first two rounds of their group without Carter, who will join the club after the end of New Zealand's November tour to Europe. However he will be available for the final four, as long as he is registered, and the allocation of fixtures next month could prove costly for the side in the pool which is the first to play Perpignan at home.

"Competing in the European Cup was a decisive factor in my choice of club," said Carter. "If I am going to test myself in the northern hemisphere, I want to play against the best in Europe. I am grateful to the New Zealand Rugby Union for giving me this opportunity. The All Black jersey is no one's by right and I fully appreciate that I will have to continue to play well and prove myself if I am to be involved with the All Blacks next year and beyond. The 2011 Rugby World Cup is going to be a phenomenal event and my priority has always been to be available to take part in that."

The New Zealand assistant coach, Steve Hansen, who had been linked with the vacant head coach's position at the Ospreys, wants to succeed Robbie Deans in charge of Canterbury Crusaders without giving up his position with the national side. Hansen coached Canterbury and was on the Crusaders' management team before moving to Wales in 2002.

"I have put my name into the hat for the Crusaders, but I would like to keep my role with the All Blacks," said Hansen, who is being supported by the New Zealand head coach, Graham Henry. "I am talking with the NZRU to see if they would be happy with my doing two jobs."

Meanwhile, the Scotland coach Frank Hadden was today given a vote of confidence by his employers. Gordon McKie, the chief executive of the Scottish Rugby Union, said he was "100%" behind Hadden and that the coach would remain in charge after the autumn internationals against New Zealand, South Africa and Canada.

The problems the major southern-hemisphere teams are having attracting crowds have been highlighted by Saturday's fixture between the Wallabies and France in Sydney. The Australian Rugby Union, concerned that only half the tickets had been sold by the start of this week, made a deal with a local shopping centre that anyone who spent £35 or more would receive two free tickets, worth a total of £60.